Vacation

It’s Sunday, so once again I’m going to rest and give the day to God. No Nowlive show. I don’t know when I’ll get back to Nowlive, if ever.

I’ve noticed a few things about keeping the “sabbath” (I’ll bet there’s a better term for a Christian’s Sunday observation). The Jews are right when they say it’s something you look forward to.

When I was a kid, I thought it was a day of punishment and misery; you put on an uncomfortable suit and sit on a hard bench and listen to a boring guy talk about how rotten you are, until you think your head will explode. Then you go home, and you find out about all the fun bad things your friends have been doing all morning without you. I wrote a screenplay in which one of the characters says his mother told him God would take him to heaven as long as he allowed God to “rurn” all his Sundays.

I don’t see it that way any more. If you’re a believer, you presumably have moments when you feel God’s presence, or moments when your faith is confirmed, and they’re very enjoyable. You miss those sensations when they’re not with you. They give you strength and encouragement, and they reassure you that the choice you have made is right. During the week, earthly concerns tend to make those moments happen farther apart. You have too many other things to worry about. So by the time Sunday rolls around, you are very anxious to revive the sensations.

Also, Sunday is the only day when you really know what you’re doing. During the rest of the week, you have a variety of things to worry about, and things come up unexpectedly. On Sunday, you rest, you pray, you read the Bible, you watch religious programming, you spend time with your family, maybe you do good deeds, and that’s about it. It’s a relief to have that other stuff off your back, and to know that what you’re doing is correct and profitable.

When Jews compare the sabbath to a vacation or a holiday or an oasis, they’re right on target. You should try it. If you believe in God, you can’t believe it’s a net loss. Surely He will repay you more than you’re giving up.

Anyway, I’m off to enjoy the day. Hope your day goes as well as mine.

More

If you like beginning your Sunday with an offering, you may be happy to learn that World Vision now has eightfold matching donations set up for malaria prevention and treatment.